Tool for inserting locking ball in retainer block



Oct. 10 1967 J. 5. PARKER TOOL FOR INSERTING LOCKING BALL m RETAINER BLOCK Filed June 21, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet INVEN'TOR. JAMES E. PARKER AT TORNEYS I Oct. 10 .1967 PARKER 3,345,731

TOOL FOR INSERTING LOCKING BALL IN RETAINER BLOCK Filed June 21, 1965 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 F 3 4 FIG. 6

INVENTOR.

JAMES E. PARKER A gW ATTORNEYS United States Patent Filed June 21, 1965, Ser. No. 465,397 6 Claims. (Cl. 29-270) This invention relates generally to a novel insertion tool for inserting a ball lock into the retainer block for a tool such as a punch or the like.

Spring loaded ball locking means are widely used in the metal punching and forming tool industry for releasably retaining a tool, such as a punch, in a retainer block to permit quick and easy assembly and di-sassembly of the tool. The punch or other tool-is mounted in a bore in a retainer block and secured therein by a spring biased ball lock which releasably engages a recess in the shank of the punch. It is sometimes necessary to remove the ball lock and in many cases this operation is costly and time-consuming. In order to overcome the problem of removing the ball lock, I have provided a novel and improved retainer block construction wherein the spring loaded ball lock may be quickly and easily removed from the retainer block, and which is shown and described in detail in my co-pending United States patent application No. 391,664, filed on Aug. 24, 1964, now Patent No. 3,245,694 and entitled, Removable Ball Retainer Block. In view of the foregoing it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a novel ball lock insertion tool which is adapted to be used with my improved retainer block.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved insertion tool for inserting a ball lock in a retainer block which may be used to insert a ball lock in a retainer block without dismantling the retainer assembly. i It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved insertion tool for insertinga ball lock in a retainer block, wherein the ball lock is first inserted into the tubular body of the insertion tool and the insertion tool is then inserted into the tool bore in the retainer block, and the ball lock is then positioned in its bore or seat in the retainer block by ejecting the ball lock out of the insertion tool into the seat by a pusher means slidably mounted in the tubular body of the insertion tool.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved ball lock insertion tool for inserting a ball lock into a tool retainer block which is simple and compact in construction, economical of manufacture, and efiicient in operation.

' It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved ball lock insertion tool which includes an elongated tubular body, said tubular body having an opening formed through the side wall thereof at one end thereof, a spring means mounted in said tubular body and adapted to hold a ball lock in the tubular body when it is inserted through said opening and to hold the ball lock in a position for ejection into the tool retainer block, and a pusher member operatively mounted in said tubular body for ejecting the ball lock out through the opening in the side wall of the tubular body and into the ball lock seat in the tool retainer block.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, appended claims, and theaccompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational section view of a tool retainer block, and showing an insertion tool made in accordance with the'principles of the present invention for inserting a ball lock in the retainer block;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the ball lock insertion tool in elevational cross section and turned to the proper position for inserting the ball lock;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2, taken along the line 33 thereof, and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, and showing the ball lock insertion tool in a position where the ball lock is partially inserted into its seat in the tool retainer block;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, elevational section view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 4, taken along the line 55 thereof, and looking in the direction of the arrows; and,

FIG. 6 is a horizontal, section view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 4, taken along the line 6-6 thereof, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings and in particularly to FIGS. 1 and 4 the reference numeral 10 generally designates a tool retainer block, for example a punch retainer block, which is provided with the usual backing plate, generally indicated by the numeral 11, and which is adapted to be operatively secured to the head of a press or the like (not shown). The backing plate 11 is adapted to be secured to the tool or punch retainer block 10 by any suitable means, as by means of a plurality of suitable screws in the usual manner. The punch retainer block 10 is provided with a cylindrical socket or bore 12 which is adapted to have seated therein a conventional punch (not shown) in a well known manner as shown in U.S. Patent 2,662,773. The particular type of punch retainer block construction with which the insertion tool of the present invention is adapted to be used is shown and described in detail in my aforementioned co-pending U.S. patent applcation S.N. 391,664.

Asshown in FIG. 4, the retainer block 10 is provided with a bore or hole 13 which is angularly disposed relative to the bore or tool hole 12 and which extends inwardly and downwardly into the retainer block 10. The bore 13 is adapted to have seated therein the usual spring biased ball lock means for releasably holding a punch or the like in the bore 12. As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the lower end of the angularly disposed bore 13 communicates or intersects with the tool hole 12, as indicated by the numerals 14 and 15. The opening between the tool bore 12 and the ball lock bore 13 is enlarged, as shown in FIG. 5, to permit a ball lock to be inserted into the bore 13 from the bore 12 with an insertion tool made in accordance with the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lower end of the angularly disposed bore 13 terminates in a seat 16. A hole 17 is formed through the lower end of the retainer block 10 and communicates with the bore 13. A rod or other toolmay be inserted through the hole 17 and into engage ment with the ball lock seated in the bore 13 to permit the balllock to be pushed upwardly for the removal of the ball lock through the hole communicating with the bore 12, or for the releasingof the punch or tool in the bore 12 to permit the punch or tool to be removedfrom the retainer block 10.

As shown in FIG. 4, a helical compression spring 18 is operatively mounted in the bore 13. The spring 18 abuts the backing plate 11 and the upper terminal end 19 of the spring 18 is seated in the hole 20 which com- 5 municates with the bore 13 so as to hold the spring 18 against rotation in the bore 13. The lower end of the spring 18 is adapted to engage the ball lock 21 and normally bias the ball lock downwardly toward the bottom 16 of the hole 13.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ball lock insertion tool of the present invention generally includes an elongated tubular body, generally indicated by the numeral 22, in which is telescopically mounted a slidable pusher member, generally indicated by the numeral 23. The outer diameter of the tubular body 22 would be made in accordance with the size of the bore 12 in which the insertion tool is to be used. For example, punches are made in standard sizes and a tool of the present invention would be provided for each standard size punch bore 12.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tubular body 22 is provided with an elongated U-shaped opening 24 which is formed through the side wall of the tubular body at the front end thereof. The inner end of the U-shaped opening is indicated by the numeral 25. An elongated leaf spring is operatively mounted inside of the tubular body 22 and has a lower end portion 26 secured to the inside of the tubular body 22 by any suitable means, as by welding. As shown in FIG. 2, the leaf spring further includes the upper portion 27 which slopes upwardly and across the inside of the tubular body 22 when the insertion tool is an unload condition. The upper end of the spring portion 27 is integral with the U-shaped portion 28 which is integral with the upper terminal portion 29. The terminal portion 29 of the spring is disposed downwardly and slidably abuts the same side of the inner surface of the tubular body 22 as the lower end portion 26. It will be seen that the upper end of the spring 29 is folded back and slidably engages the inner surface of the tubular body 22 above the fixed lower end 26 in an aligned position relative thereto. The upper end of the spring thus tends to move toward the right, as viewed in FIG. 2, when in the free state.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pusher member 23 comprises the inner end portion 31 which is slidably mounted in the tubular body 22 and which is made to a diameter large enough to be seated in a sliding engagement with the inner surface 30 of the tubular body 22. The pusher member portion 31 is preferably formed from a tubular workpiece and has fixed in the outer end thereof the reduced diameter elongated tubular outer end portion 32. The tubular portion 32 forms an outer extension or handle for the pusher member 23. The pusher member portions 31 and 32 may be secured together by any suitable means, as by welding. The outer portion 32 of the pusher member 23 extends out through the rear end of the tubular body 22, through the opening 33 formed in the rear end wall 34 of the tubular body 22. The outer diameter of the pusher member portion 32 is of a size so as to provide a sliding engagement with the surface of the opening 33. It will be seen that the pusher member 23 may be moved outwardly of the tubular body 22 to a point where the outer end of the inner tubular portion 31 engages the inside surface of the end wall 34.

As shown in FIG. 2, the outer end of the pusher tubular portion 32 is provided with an enlarged head 35 which has a reduced portion 36 seated in the bore 37 of the outer end of the tubular portion 32, and secured therein by any suitable means, as by welding.

The rear end wall 34 of the tubular body 22 may be formed by curling over the rear end of the tubular body after the pusher member 23 has been assembled into the tubular body 22.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, one side of the tubular pusher member 23 is removed so as to provide an upwardly sloping surface 39 on the outer end portion 32. The sloping surface 39 terminates at the point 38 as shown in FIG. 2 and provides clearance when the pusher member 23 is pushed into the tubular body 22, relative to the spring end portion 26. To provide the sloping surface 39 on the outer tubular portion 32 a portion of the tube is removed, as shown in FIG. 5, which extends from the point 40 inwardly to the inner end of the tubular portion 32. The inner end of the pusher inner portion 31 has one side removed to provide the sidewardly and outwardly sloping edge surfaces 41 on the edges of the tubular member 31. The sloping surfaces 41 abut the spring portion 27 when the insertion tool is in the unloaded condition.

As shown in FIG. 5, the inner end of the pusher means inner portion 31 is provided with a U-shaped recess 42 between the laterally spaced apart terminal end portions 43 and 44. As shown in FIG. 4, the inner end of the pusher means portion 31 is also provided with the outwardly facing concave seat 45 between the inner terminal end portions 43 and 44. The seat 45 commences at the U- shaped recess 42 and extends outwardly and toward the rear end of the pusher portion 31.

The insertion tool of the present invention is especially adapted for inserting a ball lock in a retainer block when it is mounted in an operating position on a press, as for example, behind a stripper plate in a position which is not readily accessible for insertion of the ball look by means of the fingers of a repairman. In such a case, the ball lock 21 would be inserted manually through the hole 24 in the tool of the present invention and pressed inwardly against the pressure of the spring in the tubular body so as to flex the spring or move it to the left, as shown in FIG. 2. The pusher member 23 would be in the outwardly extended position shown in FIG. 2. The operator then grasps the tubular body 22 and inserts it into the tool bore 12 in the retainer body 10 and it is not necessary for the operator to know exactly where the hole is located which communicates the bore 12 with the bore 13.

As shown in FIG. 1, the inward movement of the tubular body 22 will cause the front end thereof to engage the lower end of the ball lock spring 18 and move it upwardly since the spring 18 in the free condition does extend into the tool bore 12 as shown in FIG. 2 when there is no ball lock in the bore 13. The operator then rotates the tubular body 22 until the ball lock spring 18 engages the recess 24 whereby the spring 18 will then be free to move to its extended position as shown in FIG. 2 and the tubular body 22 may then be pushed into the retainer block 10 until it engages the inner end of the bore 12 and assumes a position against the backing plate 11 as shown in FIG. 4. It will be seen that when the tubular body 22 is in the fully inserted position, the inner end 25 of the recess 24 will be in a position above the lower end of the hole which communicates the bores 12 and 13 to permit passage of the ball lock 21 therethrough into the bore 13 when the pusher member 23 is moved inwardly of the tubular body 22. The ball lock 21 may then be quickly and easily pushed or ejected from its position in the tubular body 22, as shown in FIG. 2, into the bore 13 by moving the pusher member 23 inwardly of the tubular body 22. FIG. 4 shows the ball lock 21 in a position whereby the pusher member 23 has partially ejected the ball 21 from the tubular body 22. Continued inward movement of the pusher member 23 will cause the ball lock 21 to be fully ejected from the tubular body 22 into its operative position in the bore 13, as indicated by the dotted line position 46.

It will be understood that the various parts of the insertion tool of the present invention may be made from any suitable material, as for example, the tubular body 22 and the tubular pusher member 23 may be made from suitable round tubular stock with the aforedescribed tapered portions 39 and 41 machined or ground on the pusher member 23. The pusher member 23 may also be made so that it can be removed completely from the tubular body 22 and inserted from the rear end thereof with the ball lock 21 carried on the inner end thereof for inserting' the ball lock 21 into the tubular body 22 in preparation for insertion into the bore 13. It will be seen that the spring in the tubular body 22, the recess 42, and the seat 45 all coact during the inward movement of the pusher member 23 to cam or eject the ball lock 21 through the U-shaped opening 24 and into the bore 13.

Experience has shown that the insertion tool of the present invention is an elficient and practical tool for inserting the ball lock of a spring biased ball locking means into operative position in a tool retainer block.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a ball lock insertion tool for inserting a ball lock in a ball locking means bore which intersects a tool bore at an acute angle in a tool retainer block, the combination comprising:

(a) an elongated tubular body;

(b) said tubular body having a ball lock ejection opening formed through the outer side wall thereof at the front end of the tubular body;

() spring biased ball lock guide means in said tubular body having a guide member sloping forwardly across the tubular body from a point rearwardly of said opening to a point beyond the inner end of said opening for exerting a sidewardly directed push on a ball lock in the tubular body for initially retaining the ball lock in a position rearwardly of said side opening and for ejecting the ball lock through said side opening when it is moved forwardly in the tubular body to a position over said opening; and

(d) pusher means slidably mounted in said tubular body for forward movement into engagement with a ball lock initially retained in the tubular body for moving said ball lock forwardly over said opening for coaction with said spring biased ball lock guide means to eject the ball lock sidewardly through said opening into the ball locking means bore in a tool retainer block.

2. In a ball lock insertion tool for inserting a ball lock in a ball locking means bore which intersects a tool bore at an acute angle in a tool retainer block, the combination comprising:

(a) an elongated tubular body;

(b) said tubular body having a ball lock ejection opening formed through the outer side Wall thereof at the front end of the tubular body;

(c) ball lock guide means in said tubular body for initially retaining a ball lock in the tubular body and for guiding the ball lock to said opening for ejection through said opening;

(d) biasing means in said tubular body for biasing said ball lock guide means against a ball lock in the tubular body; and,

(e) pusher means slidably mounted in said tubular body for forward movement into engagement with the ball lock initially retained in the tubular body for moving said ball lock forwardly over said opening for coaction with said ball lock guide means to eject the ball lock sidewardly through said opening into the ball locking means bore in a tool retainer block.

3. In a ball lock insertion tool for inserting a ball lock in a ball locking means bore which intersects a tool bore at an acute angle in a tool retainer block, the combination comprising:

(a) an elongated tubular body;

(b) said tubular body having a ball lock ejection opening formed through the outer side wall thereof at the front end of the tubular body;

(c) ball lock guide means in said tubular body for initially retaining a ball lock in the tubular body and for guiding the ball lock to said opening for ejection through said opening;

(d) spring means associated with said ball lock guide means for pushing said ball lock guide means against a ball lock in the tubular body; and,

(e) pusher means slidably mounted in said tubular body for forward movement into engagement with a ball lock initially retained in the tubular body for moving said ball lock forwardly over said opening for coaction with said ball lock guide means to eject the ball lock sidewardly through said opening into the ball locking means bore in a retainer block.

4. In a ball lock insertion tool for inserting a ball lock in a ball locking means bore which intersects a tool bore at an acute angle in a tool retainer block, the combination comprising:

(a) an elongated tubular body;

(b) said tubular body having a ball lock ejection open- 3 ing for-med through the outer side wall thereof at the front end of the tubular body;

(0) combination spring means and ball lock guide means in said tubular body for initially retaining a ball lock in said tubular body and for guiding the ball lock to said opening and ejecting it through said opening;

(d) a pusher means slidably mounted in said tubular body; and,

(e) said pusher means having a ball lock engaging end for engagement with a ball lock positioned in the tubular body when the pusher means is moved forwardly for coaction with said combination spring means and ball lock guide means to eject the ball lock sidewardly through said opening into the ball locking means bore in a retainer block.

5. A ball lock insertion tool as defined in claim 4,

wherein:

(a) said combination spring means and ball lock guide means in said tubular body comprises an elongated leaf spring having one end fixed to the tubular body adjacent the rear end of the tubular body and the other end unattached and movable laterally to initially retain a ball lock in position in said tubular body and for guiding the ball lock to said opening and ejecting it.

6. A ball lock insertion tool as defined in claim 5,

wherein:

(a) said pusher means is formed to provide clearance for said combination spring means and ball lock guide means when the pusher means is moved forwardly to eject a ball lock from said tubular body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 963,584 7/1910 Kenoyer 29--298 X 1,250,741 12/1917 Wickham 29212 X 2,286,809 6/1942 Hutchison 29-212 X 2,373,307 4/1945 Goodard et a1. 29253 X 2,997,778 8/1961 Barkley 29-201 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

I. C. PETERS, Assistant Examiner, 

2. IN A BALL LOCK INSERTION TOOL FOR INSERTING A BALL LOCK IN A BALL LOCKING MEANS BORE WHICH INTERSECTS A TOOL BORE AT AN ACUTE ANGLE IN A TOOL RETAINER BLOCK, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: (A) AN ELONGATED TUBULAR BODY; (B) SAID TUBULAR BODY HAVING A BALL LOCK EJECTION OPENING FORMED THROUGH THE OUTER SIDE WALL THEREOF AT THE FRONT END OF THE TUBULAR BODY; (C) BALL LOCK GUIDE MEANS IN SAID TUBULAR BODY FOR INITIALLY RETAINING A BALL LOCK IN THE TUBULAR BODY AND FOR GUIDING THE BALL LOCK TO SAID OPENING FOR EJECTION THROUGH SAID OPENING; (D) BIASING MEANS IN SAID TUBULAR BODY FOR BIASING SAID BALL LOCK GUIDE MEANS AGAINST A BALL LOCK IN THE TUBULAR BODY; AND, (E) PUSHER MEANS SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID TUBULAR BODY FOR FORWARD MOVEMENT INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BALL LOCK INITIALLY RETAINED IN THE TUBULAR BODY FOR MOVING SAID BALL LOCK FORWARDLY OVER SAID OPENING FOR COACTION WITH SAID BALL LOCK GUIDE MEANS TO EJECT THE BALL LOCK SIDEWARDLY THROUGH SAID OPENING INTO THE BALL LOCKING MEANS BORE IN A TOOL RETAINER BLOCK. 